legislative pay

Doctors who care for patients on Medicaid, drug treatment counselors and probation officers could all go without pay because Illinois is without a new budget. But elected officials will keep getting their paychecks. Without a budget, Illinois loses its spending authority. Much of it anyway. Some spending is built in, automatic: like paying off debt, sending municipalities their cut of the income tax and lawmakers' pay. A couple of legislators -- like Republican Rep. David Harris of Arlington...

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn is seeking a direct appeal to the states high court, as he tries to withhold legislators pay. Quinn vetoed legislators salaries because he says they dont deserve it until theyve passed a pension overhaul. But a lower court ruled thats unconstitutional. In a brief that asks the Illinois Supreme Court to hear the case, the Quinn administration argues that it is too early for the judiciary to intervene with his veto because the General Assembly never took a vote...